Widespread in the West from Alaska to Oregon and Montana, disjunct to the Great Lakes region (Keweenaw Peninsula to Algoma District of Ontario) and again around the mouth of the St. Lawrence. While often found with V. membranaceum on forested dunes and rocks, this species seems more often than that one to be in deep shade in forests of hemlock, beech and maple, or mixed conifers.

The leaves are usually a pale, light blue-green, especially beneath. The fruit is of good quality, though not so large nor so tasty as in V. membranaceum. In both, the berry separates only reluctantly, with a slight tear, from the pedicel. In this species, like V. cespitosum and V. membranaceum, the buds have two valvate scales, while our other species of Vaccinium have more than two imbricate bud scales.